Railway safety block



May 1927' J. LIPPIS ET RAILWAY SAFETY BLOCK Filed April 15, 1926 INVENTORfi A TT ORNE Y.

Patented May 24, 192?.

UNITED STATES:

PATENT oFFIcE.

JOHN urns, or BROOKSIDE, AND MA'rHEwn. SOMER-VILLE, OF COLORADO.

CANON CITY,

RAILWAY SAFETY BLOCK.

Application filed April 13,

) Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the above described character which is readily applied to the rail of a railway track without the use of bolts or other fastening means, a further object resides inproviding in association with the block, means to disengage it from the car wheel and the rail when its service is not required and still other objects reside. in details of construction'as will fully appear in the course of the following description.

Our invention is of particular value to prevent the advance of cars on grades where men or animals are compelled to work in front or behind or between the cars,- it may be used to great advantage in mines and quarries and it generally provides an efficient and reliable protection to life and property.

A distinctive feature of the invention is that its impeding effect upon the rolling stock increases in proportion to the weight to which it is subjected.

An embodiment of our invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings in the two views of which like parts are similarly designated, and in which Figure 1, represents a partially sectional perspective view of our improved safety block in operative relation to a rail and a car wheel, and

Figure 11, an elevation of the device in connection with the rail and the car wheel Ylooking toward the inner side of the rail.

Referring more specifically to the drawings. the reference numeral 5 designates one of the rails of a railway track and 6 one of the wheels of a car supported on the track.

lhe safety block made in accordance with our invention comprises a stand or supporting member 7 preferably made of flat steel and having a flanged foot 8 adapted to embrace the flange 9 of the rail.

The upper or body portion of the stand is oifsetas at 10 to engage the head 12 of the rail and it may be beveled at its upper edge to provide for the application and 1826. Serial No. 101,746.

movement of a releasing lever as will hereinafter be described.

Pivoted on the stand by 13 is a dog 14 which inpractice en ages the tread of the wheel and the head o f the rail simultaneously with its opposite ends. The upperportion of the dog isformed to provide a lever arm having a detent 15 to frictionally engage with the tread of the wheel and the opposite end of the dog provides a cam 16 eccentric to the pivotal axis, which by its action on the rail causes the latter to be tightly gripped between the dog and the thereto opposed foot of the stand.

hen the device is applied to a rail in the manner shown and hereinabove described, the weight of the car pressing against'the upper end of the dog will cause the opposite end or cam portion of the same to clampingly engage the rail with the result that, as stated hereinbefore, the rail istightly gripped between-the dog and the foot of the stand.

It will thus be evident that the gripping action of the device on the rail is directly proportionate to the force applied by the weight of the car. and that owing to this invariable result of any movement to which the car may be subjected, the invention is indeed a reliable safety appliance for the protection of life and property.

In order to release the car from the impeding action of the appliance, a lever or pull rod 17 is movably inserted in an aperture 18 at the upper end of the dog, and the end portion of this lever may be bent at right angles to the part that passes through the aperture to provide a stop 19 which by engagement with the flange of the wheel at the inner side of the same, holds the appliance'against lateral displacement.

When it is desired to release the appliance from a car wheel, the pull rod 17 is raised sufliciently to release the stop 19 from the flange of the wheel, and by lateral movement of the rod 17, the dog 14 is made to slip off the beveled tire of the wheel and the car is allowed to proceed along the track.

Having thus described our invention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

means of a bolt neath a rail of a railway track, and a dog pivoted on the stand, the dog having a lever arm to be engaged by a car wheel on the rail, and a cam face for engagement with the head of the rail.

2 A safety block forrailway cars comprising a. stand having a foot to engage beneath a rail of a railway track, and a dog pivoted on the stand, the dog having a lever arm to be engaged by a car wheel on the rail, and a. cam face eccentric to the pivot, for engagement with the head of the rail,

3. A safety block for railway cars comprising a stand having a foot to engage beneath a rail of a railway track, and an ofset body portion to engage the head of the rail, and a dog pivoted on the body portion of the stand, the dog having a lever arm to be engaged by a car wheel on the rail, and

a cam face for engagement with the head of the rail.

4. A safety block for railway cars comprising a stand having a foot to engage beneath a rail of a railway track, and a dog pivoted on the stand, the dog having a lever arm provided with a detent to be engaged by a car wheel on the rail, anda cam face for engagement with the head of the rail.

5. A safety block for railway cars com- -prising a stand having a foot to engage beneath a rail of a railway track, a dog pivoted on the stand, and a releasing lever pivotally connected with the dog, the dog having a lever arm to be engaged by a car wheel engagement on the rail, and a cam fare for engagement with the head of the rail and the lever having a stop for engagement with the car wheel.

7. A safety block for railway cars comprising in combination with a rail of a railway track and a car wheelon the rail, a

stand having a foot to engage beneath the rail, and a dog pivoted on the stand and having a lever arm engaged by the wheel, the opposite arm of the dog exceeding in length the vertical distance between the pivot and the rail to clampingly engage the latter. 8. Av safety block for railway oars comprising in combination with a rail of a rail way track and a car wheel on the ail, a clamping element including a. member engaging beneath the rail, and a relatively movable member engaging the head of the rail and having a lever arm engaged by the wheel. 7 i

In testimony whereof, we hereunto afiix our signatures.

JOHN LIPPIS. MATHEW E. SOMERVILLE. 

